1. Issue a Presidential Juneteenth Proclamtionduring your last year in office
2. Host a Juneteenth Celebration at the White Houseduring your last year in office
3. Work with the U.S. Congress to establish Juneteenth as a National Day of Observanceduring your last year in office

Dear President Obama:

2016 marks the last year of your historic legacy as the first African American U.S. President. It is also the last year that Juneteenth
can be acknowledged and celebrated at the White House.

Since becoming President, we have been rebuffed in our efforts to contact you. You have yet to personally respond to any of
our invitations to participate in the annual
WASHINGTON JUNETEENTH National Holiday Observance or host any Juneteenth activities at the
White House.

As you know, Juneteenth, or the
"19th of June", recognizes June 19, 1865, in Galveston, TX, when Union
General Gordon Granger announced freedom in the last state in rebellion to allow enslavement,
following the end of the Civil War. This occurred more than two and a half years after the
Emancipation Proclamation was issued by
President Abraham Lincoln. Upon the reading of General Order #3 by
General Granger, our ancestors, released from the tyranny of enslavement, celebrated jubilantly, establishing America's
second Independence Day Celebration and the oldest African American holiday observance.

Juneteenth is now recognized as a state holiday or special day of observance in
45 states. In 2003, the District of
Columbia passed legislation to recognize Juneteenth as a district holiday
observance.

Since 1997, the U.S. Congress has unanimously passed legislation recognizing Juneteenth for several years. For
example, in 2011, Congressman Danny K. Davis (D-IL) sponsored
H.R. 323 and Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) sponsored of
S.R. 211,
"Observing the historical significance of Juneteenth Independence Day" in America.

We continue to urge you to acknowledge the accomplishments of Americans of African descent during the tyranny of enslavement at the
16th Annual
WASHINGTON JUNETEENTH National Holiday Observance. As was the case with the
U.S. Capitol, the
White House was built by enslaved Americans of African
descent. Our ancestors have made many
significant contributions to the building of the infrastructure of America during enslavement that have yet to be
acknowledged.

As a state senator and U.S. Senator from Illinois, we thank you for supporting legislation for the official
recognition of Juneteenth by the Governor and state legislature of Illinois in 2003. We also appreciated your
sponsorship of legislation to recognize Juneteenth in the
U.S. Senate in 2006. It was a great honor to personally receive special recognition from you as the only
African American member of the U.S. Senate and Congressman Danny Davis (D-IL), both from my home state of
Illinois, with other members of congress, for advocating for the official recognition of Juneteenth at the
U.S. Capitol in 2008.

America needs healing from the scars of enslavement. The annual observance of Juneteenth in America affords the
country a tremendous opportunity to constructively reflect on our legacy of enslavement and move forward as a unified nation.
As the leader of our country, your public participation in Juneteenth will be instrumental in bringing all Americans
together in a spirit of unity and reconciliation.

We hope that you will join us in the celebration of Juneteenth Independence Day in America.